SoccerNews Issue # 09, September 29th 2014 Continental/Division Tires Alexander Bahlmann Phone: +49 511 938 2615 Head of Media & Public Relations PLT E-Mail: [email protected] Buettnerstraße 25 | 30165 Hannover www.contisoccerworld.de Foto: dpa Soccer News # 09/2014 2 In the right defensive position on Sunday before the final whistle. The diagnosis came evening Loew lined up a player wearing the on Monday: the midfielder suffered an injury number 7 shirt and the family name “Rudy”. to his left ankle joint, just as he did in the last But by putting Hoffenheim player Rudy, 24, pre-World Cup friendly against Armenia, caus- who earned only his third cap, as did his coun- ing him to miss the World Cup. With a partly terpart on the left side, Erik Durm, 22, into the ruptured outside ligament and an overexpan- four-man defence, did signal the beginning sion of the tarsal ligaments he will be out of new experimentation. Retirements and for four weeks. The second injury of the key injuries had forced a reformation of the team, player will be of more concern to Borussia minus established key players, to meet the Dortmund than to Loew. Schalke player Julian strong Scots just eight weeks after the World Draxler, Loew’s alternative for Reus, had also Cup triumph in Rio de Janeiro. been injured during the 4-2 loss to Argentina in the friendly match four days earlier. “We will have to improvise in the upcoming months” Sebastian Rudy is originally a defensive mid- fielder. The Black Forest-born player held this position in the U21 selection of the German Football Association (DFB) until last year, and also plays there for his club. “I simply thought it looked a good alternative to put him at right back, and he did a good job”, Loew said, Thomas Mueller scores the 2-1 winning goal for Germany against Scotland. The World Cup champions start stressing that he will soon have to take more the 2016 European Championship qualification with three points. (Photo: GES/Augenklick) unusual decisions. “We have to improvise in the upcoming months”, the national coach explained, preparing the fans for a phase in News which the top-ranked team in the world will logically lose quality compared to the World Cup competition. Loew starts to reform the World The realignment is also the price for the fourth World Cup title, with the energy- Cup winning team sapping World Cup tournament forcing many players to their limit. Bastian Schweinsteiger Joachim Loew knows exactly what he has in Thomas Mueller. Nothing with the 24-year-old can went far beyond, while Sami Khedira’s rup- surprise him anymore. “He can’t puzzle me further. I have experienced so much with him”, said tured muscle could also be due to the thrash- the German national coach, when he spoke of “match winner” Mueller. The Munich player, who ing in June and July. Loew said that Khedira Sebastian Rudy from Hoffenheim made his first had prompted the 2-1 (1-0) win over Scotland with two goals at the start of the European Cham- would possibly be missing also for the Octo- appearance at right back in the German team that pionship qualifications, possesses a distinctive hunger for goals. Loew had also been creative ber qualifiers. Against the Scots it was Marco played Scotland. Joachim Löw is also aiming to test with his newest discovery. Thus once again he unveiled a surprise for most of the 60,200 spec- Reus, who received treatment for some time other candidates for the position. tators in Dortmund. before being led off the pitch limping shortly (photo: GES/Augenklick) Soccer News # 09/2014 3 Loew will continue casting for outside also named by Loew as an alternative, plays in central defence. News defenders Kevin Grosskreutz is no longer among the candidates, Loew According to Loew the fact that the team “lost made quite clear. But Loew has often proved that he gives DFB opponents Gibraltar lose “at home” in Portugal a bit of control of the match” in the second returnees a new chance, which could also hold true for Marcel half in Dortmund was because all players Schmelzer, Marcell Jansen and Dennis Aogo if they reach top On May 24, 2013, Gibraltar was affiliated as the 54th full member by the Euro- from the World Cup squad have not reached form. pean Football Association, UEFA. Last Sunday, the national team of the country peak fitness at this stage of the season. This with 30,000 inhabitants which belongs to the territory of Great Britain, played could clearly be seen with central defenders One fact is certain – a Philipp Lahm, with his class, will not be their first competitive match after five friendly games. They lost their first Euro- Benedikt Hoewedes and Jerome Boateng, replaced for a long time. But with the entire team Loew will pean qualifier 7-0 (1-0) to Poland, with Robert Lewandowski (FC Bayern Munich) causing the defence to be slightly shaky in continue to bid for understanding that could repeat such per- scoring four goals. It was officially a home match for Gibraltar, which is located the second half. Toni Kroos and Mario Goetze formances seen at the World Cup again only at the 2016 Euro- on the southern tip of Spain with its “Apes’ Rock”. But as the Victoria Stadium in too, still not fully recovered from the World pean Championship. Gibraltar does not comply with UEFA guidelines, the encounter took place in Cup efforts, are not in top shape. But one Faro in Portugal, almost 400 kilometres away. A total of 1,602 spectators jour- at least functioned normally in front of the neyed to the 2004 European Championship stadium. “Gibraltar, the youngest opposing goal. “If you have a player such as UEFA member, has a team which allows the majority of opponents record goals“, Mueller, who can jump 2.50m high, you can- World Cup Rules wrote the Polish newspaper “Rzeczpospolita”. For the encounter with World not prevent goals. Mueller simply is a unique Cup champions Germany in the European Championship qualification Group D, machine”, said Scotland’s coach Gordon the amateurs around goalkeeper Jordan Perez, who is a firefighter, will travel to Strachan about the FC Bayern striker, who A new system for the European Nuremberg on November 14. The second leg will take place in Faro at Estadio has scored eight goals in the last nine interna- Championship Algarve in June 2015. tional matches. At the 15th European Championship in 2016, 24 teams Loew need not worry unduly about the of- will play for the title for the first time. In addition to the fence, but has clear problems in the defence. automatically qualified hosts France, 23 teams will be The national coach no longer intends to play determined in the qualification for the tournament. Fifty with four inside defenders as at the World three nations have been divided into nine five or six-team Cup, which would be possible with Hoewedes, groups. The nine group winners and, for the first time the Boateng, Hummels, and the possibly soon nine runners-up as well as the best third-placed team, will returning Holger Badstuber. And a three-man qualify directly for the finals. The eight remaining third- defence is not included in Loew’s concrete placed teams will play four play-off matches (two legs) planning, although he has concerned himself thus determining the last four participants. At the Euro- with it. In the future he wants to bring in out- pean Championship finals six four-team groups instead of side defenders who play offensively. four will play. The two best teams in each group, and the four best third-placed teams will advance to the knock-out With the upcoming matches this year against stages. Poland, Ireland and Gibraltar as well as in Spain, further newcomers could follow Rudy in getting a casting opportunity: The Freiburg duo Oliver Song and Christian Guenter, as well as Wolfsburg’s Sebastian Jung, fulfil the defensive tasks in the outside positions in the Gibraltar lost their first competitive match in their football history 7-0 against Poland. Bundesliga, while Stuttgart’s Antonio Ruediger, Robert Lewandowski celebrates one of his four goals in Faro. (Photo: Getty Images) Soccer News # 09/2014 4 News strong man despite the frustrating World Cup “I have never lost my trust in the team. I am im- In addition to Lewandowski, further Bundesliga campaign. pressed by how they played”, said team manag- professionals impressed in the international er Roy Hodgson after his travel to the past. The matches. Munich’s Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg initi- Deposed 2010 World Cup champions Spain had now 67-year-old had coached the Swiss from ated the change during Denmark’s 2-1 over “Week of Foot- also rejected a change of coach after elimina- 1992 to 1995, a job now held by Vladimir Pet- Armenia in the Portugal Group I. Dortmund’s tion in the first round. Vicente del Bosque, under kovic. As the successor to Ottmar Hitzfeld the Henrikh Mkhitarian had scored to notch a lead ball” starts with whose leadership “La Roja” had won the World Bosnian has inherited a tough task, as proven for the East Europeans. Höjbjerg’s Bayern team- Cup and European title, remained to initiate a by the opening defeat. Danny Welbeck scored mate David Alaba scored first for Austria in the new beginning after stars such as Xavi and Xabi the two goals for the team led by new England 1-1 draw with Sweden.